Where wicking and Objectivism collide.

What’s not to love about a company that manages to combine subliminal messaging with a strong social message? Here, in no particular order, are a series of statements you’re unlikely to overhear at everyone’s favorite purveyor of hundred-dollar hoodies.

“Yes, but do I need a separate sweat-wicking infinity scarf for jogging and Zumba?”

“What a coincidence! Atlas Shrugged inspired me to take up yoga, too. Did you know that “namaste” is the Sanskrit word for Objectivism?”

“Well, at least no one’s been brutally murdered in this particular store.”

“I can’t decide who’s more charming, Dov Charney or Chip Wilson. I like them both so much.”

“Of course I love Bikram yoga, but I’ve been looking for something a little more structured and competitive. And litigious. Are there any cults you can recommend? Maybe one with a worldview that links $70 tank tops to personal growth?”

“This sweater doesn’t have enough zippers on it.”

“Sure, I’ve been to other sporting apparel outlets, but I just don’t feel comfortable buying leggings unless I can see the personal fitness goals of the clerk selling them to me scribbled in chalk on a blackboard by the door.”

“Thank God someone‘s brave enough to speak out on behalf of child labor. I am so sick of Big Youth pushing athletic wear manufacturers around.”

“I’ve been looking for something that combines meditation with balls-out capitalism and a murky connection to Scientology, and I think I’ve found it.”

“Do you have this in a size 14?”

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The post 10 Things You’ll Never Hear at a Lululemon appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Take five. Here’s an at-a-glance chance to reconnect with or catch top stories you might have missed this week at EcoSalon:

Like shopping online? This week we published a comprehensive guide to where you should be shopping. Our Top 15 Online Eco-Boutiques is a thorough resource for sustainable fashion. Get your shopping engines revving.

Whether you choose to have a child or not is a very personal choice. Editor Andrea Newell explores the topic in Childfree: The Way To Be?

Newell writes: “The family landscape is changing, and the point is choice. The number of women not having children is rising whether society chooses to accept it or not. We can let this issue drive a wedge between parents and non-parents, or we can see it as a way to improve our society’s health.”

Natural flavors are often anything but. Like Nature Intended deals with some troubling information, such as one common ingredient often used to enhance raspberry and vanilla flavors, known as castoreum. Castoreum is made from the anal secretions of beavers. Natural, my…

In Men And The Women Who Make Them Irrelevant, we take a critical look at whether women’s increasingly visible role in society is to blame for the alleged demise of men.

This week, we also launched an exclusive promotion! The Box is filled with products from top green companies including Loomstate, A Perfume Organic and PeopleTowels. An unbelievably low $99 gets you $500 worth of products to keep or gift to mom this Mother’s Day! We’re almost sold out, so hurry and get yours today.

Image: stopherjones

The post The Friday Five, Vol. 9 appeared first on EcoSalon.

We’ve been falling hard for the NOW Showcase for the past three seasons at Market in New York City and are glad to be this season’s exclusive media sponsor. With all that amazing talent in one big room, not only are we excited to see all the new fall collections, we’re hoping we might even see you!

On two separate evenings, the EcoSalon team will be on hand to mingle and answer all the questions you ever wanted to ask us, like, “Is fashion columnist Gretchen Jones really 10 feet tall?” and “Does Fashion Editor Amy DuFault really have a thick New England accent?” and of course, the top question you’ve secretly been wondering: “Are they fun?”

We totally are.

So come meet our fashion columnist and recent Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones on Saturday, February 19th, 4-6:30 p.m. Jones, a designer and EcoSalon fashion columnist of “My Designer Life,” will be on hand to talk about anything you deem sustainable. About to launch her first collection since her Project Runway win, Jones will have look books on hand to show buyers and a leopard turban on to impress anyone else.

Fashion Editor, Amy DuFault (yours truly), will be on hand the second day – Sunday, February 20th, 4-6:30 pm entertaining a motley crew of eco-boutique owners (the ones you love shopping online but have never met), fellow sustainable fashion writers, and Garment District representatives. I’ll be at the ready with my Flip, pad and pen to take notes about anything you think might be EcoSalon-story worthy.

In addition to sipping fair trade wine from Appollis and Fair. vodka cocktails, you can warm up with hot Gypsy Tea and snack on some delicious Regal Vegan Faux Gras™ and then (ahem!) there’s the every-15-minute-giveaway on the 20th from Chem Line, Deborah Lindquist, Creem, NatureVsFuture, SDN, Lipstockist and Heidi Roland – all for the price of a business card.

If you weren’t able to make it to any New York Fashion Week events, this is a unique and special opportunity to meet the real designers behind the inspiring lines and see just what Fall 2011 has in store for us.

We look forward to meeting you!

For a complete list of designers showing at NOW, go here.

The post Come Meet EcoSalon At The Now Showcase! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Designers aren’t alone when it comes to being held responsible for their claims of eco-design; so are the boutiques that carry them.

In fact, as greenwashing heats up and the public is able to be more informed, all participants of the manufacturing and selling process are being held accountable and nobody wants to look stupid.

Shows like D&A (Designers &Agents) and the NOW Showcase are making that quest for transparency a lot easier. For example, with green leaf icons at D&A serving as code for sustainable designer’s booths and with the NOW Showcase, an established venue offering various shades of green depending on the hue you so desire.

Still, nothing is perfect. In fact, at the last D&A show when approaching a designer toting a green leaf (for my own boutique), I was left to stand and have her waste 15 minutes of my precious time explaining to me why she had acquired her green leaf.

“So are your chains reclaimed?” I asked her.

“No, we give women fresh out of prison jobs to support their new life,” she answered.

“So nothing is recycled or reclaimed?,” I asked again horrified.

“Ahhh, no,” she said, now looking at me in bewilderment.

I had at least three other run-ins with designers marked with the green leaf that were, in my opinion, not even mint green.

While venues keep improving, we buyers keep pushing forward with our rigorous drills on designers, asking lots of questions and hopefully getting the right answers.

While in New York for Market Week, I bumped into Shana Yansen, owner and buyer of Jute and Jackfruit for a buyer’s love fest.

Here’s what she had to say about her adventures as a buyer.

The post Video Interview: Shana Yansen of Jute And Jackfruit appeared first on EcoSalon.

For those of you reading and asking, “Hey, what did I miss?” honey, you missed a lot!

This past Friday night, we hosted Ecosalon Shops! at a New York City venue in TriBeCa where nearly 20 designers, three eco-friendly boutiques (Foundfuture, Juno & Jove and Mission Savvy), and organic food and drink vendors (think chocolate! think martinis!) gathered to have a susty soiree. Thanks to a collaborative effort that included EcoSalon, sustainable designers, brands, editors, bloggers and friends, the place was packed and the fashion was flying.

But before that even happened, early arrivals, hoping to grab the product-packed goodie bags first, were swarming the space! After seating our eager guests in a lounge area, they waited patiently for the 7:00 whistle that kicked off the event. (Or make that the 7:00 beats, provided by none other than emcee Tofuburger. No, we’re not kidding.)

Over the course of three hours, some 400 fabulous eco gals (and a few green guys) showed to shop and mingle, including some of our favorite eco fashion writers (some of whom wrote pieces on the event as well): Jasmin Malik Chua of Ecouterre, Starre Vartan of Greenopia and Eco-Chick, Emma Grady of Treehugger, Abigail Doan of Ecco Eco and Eco Fashion World and spokeswoman, activist, writer and eco model, Summer Rayne Oakes of well, lots of green things! We were thrilled to spend time with these amazing people, some of whom we’ve been chatting with and working with online but had never met in person.

Readers who’ve been following us for the past two years also showed up and laughed over old and newer controversial stories that they’d either commented on or followed, got to meet all the designers we’ve been covering and made conscious purchases they could feel good about.

We’re deeply grateful to all the fantastic green supporters in media who helped spread the word about EcoSalon Shops! far and wide and attended the event, including Time Out New York, NBC’s Thread/NY as well as writers and editors from Lucky magazine, InStyle, the New York Times, Fox and Marie Claire.

Enjoy the slideshow, and visit us again tomorrow to watch the video of the event.

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Now don’t you fret if you didn’t get to make this one. Another event is already in the works and may be coming to a city near you. We’ll see you soon!

The post We EcoSalon Shopped! appeared first on EcoSalon.

While some sites carry tried and true lines we’ve been following for years, others are peddling cutting edge sustainable fashion – making conscious consumption more provocative than ever.

Here’s a list of what I consider the top 10 eco boutiques. Have at ’em!

Beklina

I just can’t convey how much I love this site, from the photos to the clothes. Always clean and easy to navigate, Beklina loves their indie designers and is willing to experiment with styles other boutiques are hesitant to try.

Love the Lina Rennell and Mociun offerings as well as these vegan moccasins by Manimal.

Beklina’s site says “Our fashion is modern organic, reflecting Northern California’s grace and beauty,” says Beklina, who believes clothing and design can be “precious, radical, nurturing, healing and wonderful.”

Guess it’s working cause whenever I go to their site, I’m instantly happy.

Embodies

I met Embodies owner Kenlynn Wilson last year at a trade show in New York. I could tell by the look in her eye she was the real deal when it came to being serious about eco.

She bases her criteria on a few things: What fabrics are used in the clothing, where the items are manufactured (and under what conditions), what types of dyes are used in the clothing as well as the packaging the clothes are being shipped in. Curating with a careful eye, Wilson’s due diligence yields a great stable of fashion-forward eco-designers.

Look for Alabama Chanin, Calleen Cordero cuff bracelets and select Linda Loudermilk.

Greenloop

Besides running a fabulous online boutique, Greenloop owner Aysia Wright is commonly used as a resource for both designers and the eco-community. She’s everywhere.

Having just wrapped up her Project Green Search in L.A., Wright’s returned to her home base of Portland, Oregon where she recently moved the brick and mortar Greenloop inside Seven Planet.

Check out the site for a veritable who’s who of eco-designers including Del Forte denim, Charmone shoes (crazy close-outs on them as I write) and Loomstate.

Arboretum

Guided by William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s Hannover Principles on our inter-dependence on nature, Arboretum owners Kate Morison and Andrea Barrett have created their own eco-study of beautiful designed clothing and accessories to show us.

Both women hail from Sonoma County where, they say a connection with the land is a part of their everyday life.
“From the rugged coastline to the majestic redwoods, we have drawn vast inspiration from our environment. Our inspiration and shared vision led us to build an Arboretum.”

Love their picks of Stewart and Brown, Rag & Bone and Prairie Underground.

Clary Sage Organics

After a busy day wearing my blogger and retailer hats, I want to slip on lounging wear with comfort and ease.

Clary Sage is my go to brand for comfy but stylish yoga pants, camisole tops and my very favorite, Convertible Wrap (feels delicious).

In addition to their own line, they have an “After Yoga” section with easy slip on skirts, tunic t-shirts and go-to hoodies.

Just when you thought you were completely satisfied with their clothing selections, they offer a great range of Lotions and Potions including my favorite body care line, Farmaesthetics and perfumes by Tsi~La (Ylang Ylang is mmm…). Search the site for your own new favorites.

Kaight

Kate Macgregor, the founder and owner of Kaight has carefully edited her boutique for men and women that dig clothing and accessories “thoughtfully designed” with organic and sustainable textiles.

Like most of the eco-boutiques listed here, Kaight specializes in emerging and independent designers who use organic, recycled and sustainable materials.

Love their Ashley Watson bags, Melissa Shoe selection as well as Dream & Awake vintage dresses.

Tobi

In addition to their traditional shopping, Tobi offers an Eco-Tobi site which I hope continues to grow.

If you can’t get to the actual brick and mortar shop in San Francisco, their 1-to-1 shopping experience can be had onlinewhich involves live chat with one of the owners to get style advice or sizing questions answered before you buy.

Lots of great natural body and hair care lines including Pangea, Hamadi and Pure Fiji as well as basics from Alternative Apparel and tried and true lines by Edun, Prairie Underground and Stewart and Brown.

Jessa Brinkmeyer, owner of Pivot

Pivot
This Chicago-based online boutique is run by Jessa Brinkmeyer on the premise that being eco doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Brinkmeyer says “A big part of building an eco-smart wardrobe is finding pieces you can keep and love.”

Very true. By picking even one sustainably designed article of clothing from Pivot, you’ve in fact begun your journey.
You might want to start with a great fitting She-Bible cardigan or Lara Miller sweater that will stylishly last you for years.

Sodafine

Sodafine has got to be one of the sweetest shops going.

Based in Brooklyn, the boutique’s owner Erin Weckerle focuses her buying on “innovative and unique handmade clothing, accessories and gift items.”

Weckerle also carries a selective collection of vintage clothing, (I recently was gifted a beautiful vintage slip from a friend who stopped in there) as well as lines utilizing eco-friendly fabrics and sustainable labor practices.

The site says “Many of the items you’ll find at Sodafine are made by individuals who call themselves artists and see their production of clothing/accessories as just one facet of their artistic process”¦We are eager to assist young artists and craftspeople with information(and inspiration) for marketing their wares. We intend to provide an interesting model of the intersection of art, craft, and fashion at work in everyday life.”

And they have.

Check out great pieces from Feral Childe, Popomomo as well as Sodafine’s own in-house line.

Kind

Kind states that their boutique is for “Living happy, living gently,” which makes me love them all the more.

Mixing sustainably designed as well as vintage finds with things for your nest, Kind is a one-stop shop with quality pieces, consciously handpicked to really reflect their store.

Check out clothing by Mika Machida and Nixxi as well as shoes by Neuaura and Olsen Haus.

The post Top 10 Online Eco-Boutiques appeared first on EcoSalon.